Arrest In Baby Hope Case; Still No Resolution In Government Shutdown And Debt Ceiling; Bracing for Markets on Monday; Should Corporate America Do More?; Interview with Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota

Aired October 13, 2013 - 17:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is the top of the hour. I'm Don Lemon. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And Washington's long weekend almost over. But we're no closer to solving the partial government shutdown or avoiding this week's deadline to raise the debt ceiling. Believe it or not, most House members are out of town. The Senate gathered for a couple of hours today, but they have just adjourned.

Our Mark Preston is at the Capitol, Jim Acosta is on duty at the White House and our chief national correspondent is Mr. John King. He is also standing by for us.

We are going to start with Mark Preston first

So Mark, You have some new information, I understand, behind-the- scenes talks going only there at the capitol. Any progress to report?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Don, I'd like to say that in fact there seems to be some kind of a break in the impasse over house to address the debt ceiling in the continuing resolution to big issues that Washington has really been struggling with for the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be one.

As you said, Senate majority leader Harry Reid just gabbled the Senate out of session. It was in for less than four hours. This is what he had to say, though, about his conversation that he just recently had with Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NY), MAJORITY LEADER: And I had a productive conversation with Republican leader this afternoon. Our discussions were substantive. And will continue those discussions. I'm optimistic about the prospects for positive conclusion issued before this country debate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PRESTON: In there, you have Senate majority leader Harry Reid just on the Senate floor moments to go saying that he has had a substantive conversation with Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader. I have to tell you though, Don, I spoke to somebody who is very familiar with the negotiations and this person said do not expect anything substantive to actually happen tonight. Do not expect some kind of deal to be broken or even major steps and a deal to be taken.

This is actually very problem some for tomorrow morning as we now starts to seeing global markets start to open up. And if the Senate cannot be able to get a deal or at least get close to a deal, we will start to see some movement, I'm sure on these markets, Don.

LEMON: OK. Jim Acosta, it sounds like we can all just pack it up and go home because, you know, Mark is saying no deal. What's the president doing today? Who's he been talking to?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, he has been talking to House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. The White House did release some details about that phone call. And the reason why that was important, you might wonder why it is an important, the president called a member of his own party even though Nancy Pelosi is a very important member of that party. But according to a read from the White House on that conversation, it says that the president reiterated his position. That he will accept nothing less than a clean, continuing resolution to reopen the government and a clean debt ceiling increase.

Don, why is that important? That's basically the president's same position all along throughout this entire process. So, President Obama, obviously, believes at this point that he has the upper hand that really pushed the Republicans to accept his point of view on this. And we are just going to have to see as to what Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid come up with because that maybe the last best hope to avert default at this point, Don.

There's not that much time left procedurally to get something done because obviously, it has to get out of the Senate and then go over to the House. Now, as we saw on Saturday, they passed a clean debt limit extension bill in the Senate or they tried to pass one and all Republicans blocked it. It didn't get out of the Senate.

And so, the fact that it has to go back to the House. That does not give a lot of people a whole lot of time here in Washington. They are running out of time, Don.

LEMON: Absolutely.

To John King now. John, you know, we're headed towards the serious deadline this week with the debt ceiling. At first, it was over Obamacare, right? And then, it stretched into, you know, the debt ceiling which is October 17th. Was this the strategy all along or for by Republicans who wanted to, you know, didn't want to give the president a clean C.R.?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it depends on which Republicans we're talking about and that's part of the problem. This is not only a debate between the Republicans and the president, the Republicans and he Democrats, but this is an internal family feud. Even civil wars, some would say, within the Republican Party. Speaker Boehner's position all along has within that he didn't want to shut down the government. But once the government was shut down, his position was let's try to do with this one deal, reopen the government and deal with the debt ceiling in one bill. Why? He thought, number one, he'd only have to have one tough vote for his members. And number two, The Republicans thought they would some leverage over the president who in the past has negotiated on the debt ceiling issue.

However, as Jim just noted, the president the moment believes he has the upper hand. He says I'm willing to negotiate but only after you reopen the government, only after you raise the debt ceiling.

Now, they can wink and nod the sequence and put all that together in the package where the Republicans can say the president negotiated and the president can say he didn't if they get it all done. The problem is there's so little trust. Even within the Republican Party, Don, there are those tea party members that are on leadership that it looks like once again, Washington is going to dance up to a deadline. And we are going to watch those financial markets.

LEMON: Oh, boy.

You know, Jim, I just thought about this, about those protesters who left the mall and headed over there to the White House gate. What happened?

ACOSTA: Well, as you know, Don, and you have been talking about this, others have been talking about this. There have been these protests going on outside the World War II memorial here in Washington. Because a lot of veterans groups are upset that they can't get inside those memorials because the barricades that have put there by the national park service during the shutdown.

Well, what happened today, there was another protester over that Memorial? But what the protesters did today and they were some tea party protesters in there, some other folks from some French groups in there, they carried those barricades over from the World War II memorial and dumped them in front of the fence in the front of the north lawn of the White House and piled them so high that conceivably. Don, these protesters could have scaled the fence at one point. That prospect is what alarmed U.S. park police officers to come out in riot gear. They came out in riot gear and on horseback to make sure that this thing did not escalate.

There was also a pretty substantial security presence on the front, north lawn of the White House. Luckily, everything ended peacefully. There was a little bit of scuffling between officers and some protesters. But Don, this got very ugly at certain points. There were people out there with impeach Obama sign and waving confederate flags and saying some things that quite frankly we can't say on national television. But you know, credit to the park service and credit to some of the people in that protest who wanted to do this peacefully. Cooler heads prevailed in this thing de-escalated and was handled.

LEMON: Tension? ACOSTA: Peacefully, Don.

LEMON: Jim, it seems very odd because one would think that they would be doing that in front of the Capitol because it is the lawmakers who actually shut the government down. And it seems like it misplaced emotion because president didn't shut the government down, it was Republicans. It was, John King, members of the tea party, back to within the Republican Party as you have been reporting here.

I want you, John, I want you to listen to one of the speakers at the rally and then we'll talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KLAYMAN, FREEDOM WATCH: I call upon all of you to wage a second's American nonviolent revolution, to use civil obedience and to demand that this president leaves town, to get out, to put the Koran down, to get up off his knees and to figuratively come out with his hands up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: To put the Koran down. Oh, boy. A lot of anger towards the president. Who are some of these speakers?

KING: Look, Don, this is part of the problem within the Republican Party. That is Larry Klayman from a conservative group called Judicial watch. Larry Klayman, look, the president is a Christian. We could go through this if you want, but we don't have to.

But this part of the problem, there are Republicans here who have serious policy disagreements with the president. They would like the president to agree to lower spending levels. They would like the president to negotiate on tax reforms. They would like the president to negotiate on Social Security and Medicare.

Now, whether you agree or disagree with those goals, those are legitimate policy goes to the Republican part. They have every right to try to negotiate with the president. And they will either win or lose on negotiation.

But then, you have that what you just show. And that is why the president believes he can sit back and let this play out because you will have the fringe of the tea party and conservative groups who are frankly are not interested in governing. They are more interest in making a name for themselves and raising money, watch all the e-mails flying around saying send me money. Let's listen to all and they up the anti in the ridiculous and obnoxious things they say in these debates. That's one of the reason the Democrats say we will just sit back and let this play out because events like that happen They believe, sire, tea party people might jump up and cheer that. Some people might jump up and sure that. But the president believes, the Democrats believe and the polling indicates they are right. That in the wide swath of America, people look at that and just shake their heads. LEMON: And they shake their heads. And they see, they can see through that. They can see through the rhetoric and the value voters summit that many of the people on the stage are running for office and they are doing presidential tight speeches.

Mark Preston, what are you hearing about how business interests are preparing for the week ahead?

PRESTON: Well, Don, what's interesting is we heard from some CEOs that had expressed this pleasure and frustrations last week that the debt ceiling has not been resolved. That it had not been increased. You know, these are gentlemen and women who run titans of industry. They all, by in large, though, think that it was going to get done. That's why we didn't hear a lot of anger directed at Washington. But I got to tell you, I spoke to several of the representatives this morning here in Washington D.C. And given what we just learned in the past hours or so that there is going to be no progress tonight on trying to get some kind of grand bargain, Don.

I would expect now that tomorrow morning you're going to start hearing from Wall Street, you are going to start hearing from business interests that are frustrated that Washington cannot get their act together. Not only on opening the government, but, more importantly, Don, on increasing that debt ceiling.

LEMON: All right, thank you, guys.

We are going to have Alison Kosik talking about that very subject coming up.

But appreciate all of you. Stand by. We will get back to you as needed throughout the next couple of hours here on CNN.

In the meantime, we want to talk about a cold case. The murder of the little girl found in a cooler along the highway 22 years ago. It's solved now. Next, the detective who never gave up in his search for her killer joins us live.

And later, wrongfully convicted of rape and kidnapping a Georgia man walks out of prison after 17 years. Now he is telling his story in a unique way through music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It was an unthinkable crime that captured headlines nationwide. A little girl abused, killed and found doubled over inside an ice chest on the side of the road in New York. Now, after two decades long investigation, police say they have found the killer of the child known as baby Hope.

Jerry Giorgio was a lead detective on the case and has been waiting more than two decades for this arrest.

Mr. Giorgio, thank you so much who retired from the police force earlier this summer. How did you hear an arrest was going to be made and what was your reaction? JERRY GIORGIO, FORMER LEAD DETECTIVE ON BABY HOPE CASE: Well, over the past 22 years, ever since we caught the case, I being the eternal optimist, always felt that someday, there would be an arrest in this case. There were times where we became very frustrated and I became very frustrated. But always holding out the hope that someone would step up or call even anonymously without identifying themselves which would give us the lead whereby we could track down the killer.

And this year, we got lucky. A woman called, I understand, and she'd gave information that she had been holding only to for a number of years when she first learned from a young lady who stated that she was the sister of baby Hope. She didn't believe it. And this year, it was placards were posted again and flyers were handed out, kind of bothered her and she discussed it with a coworker and the coworker was very surprised. She said you never reported it to police that you had a conversation with a girl and the girl says she was the baby sister? She said no, I never did. She said, well, I really feel you should. And she then called, I believe it was crime stoppers, the tips lines, and gave what information she had. And then old fashioned detective work kicked in whereby they got information from the sister. They went to the sister. They located her, got information from her. I understand they then spoke to the mom. I'm sure there were other people in between there. The job that they did was outstanding, absolutely outstanding.

LEMON: It was good old shoe leather detective work, police work that finally paid off.

Listen, I know this is very personal to you, this case. So, you anti your squad. Detectives paid for Angelica's tombstone which is baby Hope. Her name was Angelica. Your wife bought her a white dress for her burial. I mean, what was it like for all those years searching for her killing and having this piece so personal for you?

GIORGIO: Well, I fell is -- I can't remember, you know, count the exact number but I know there are detectives who are retired. The only other active one is Chief Reznick, I believe. And we took this baby to be one of our owned, a family member, someone who is now we have to look out for, who care for, or do whatever we could to make sure that she was resting peacefully. And then in the long run, hopefully, bring to justice the person responsible. She was truly our baby.

LEMON: Yes.

And all the years that you are on this case, what were your instincts telling you about who the killer was. Did you think all along that it might be a family member? Or that it was someone who is close to angelica or baby Hope as she was known?

GIORGIO: Yes, there was conjecture on our part. But as detectives, you sit around, and you discuss the case. Maybe a phone tip would come in, something to check out.

LEMON: Why did you think that? GIORGIO: Because it had to be someone who had control over this child, poster parents, adopted parents, her actual parents, you know. Those suggestions were thrown out because where no one stepped up and said, excuse me, that little girl is my niece or my cousin or related to me or related to my next door neighbor. I used to see her visit. Well, no one called a missing person's report, you have to report her. And by the end of that day, we haven't seen any information that a child of her approximate age was reported missing, we knew we had a mystery on our hands. We knew that she was in someone's control and they killed her.

LEMON: Yes. I would imagine that this is a huge way it left it off your shoulders and we -- there is closure. I hate using that word, but in this case there is closure.

Thank you, detective. We appreciate.

GIORGIO: Thank you.

LEMON: All right. Up next --

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

LEMON: Rioting in the streets. Hundreds of college students take on police when a block party turns ugly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. So this video that you just have to see. It is cops clashing with students while trying to break up a huge black party last night.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

LEMON: That You Tube video shows police using smoke, flash bags and pepper spray to try to break up the hundreds of party goers near Western Washington University in Belling. Officers say the students became violent when they arrived throwing bottles at buses and cars and then them. Four people were arrested.

We've got grot something now that you probably seen on your local news and even sometimes here on CNN seemingly normal people who suddenly explode with violence. And when police respond, these so-called emotionally disturbed people are sometimes shot, sometimes killed. Here's a good example, this incident, last month in New York City.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

LEMON: Police fired at a man they called emotionally disturbed. He was weaving through traffic in Times Square. They shot at him, they missed and they hit two bystanders instead. People usually say why didn't they or their family call for help before something like this happened?

CNN's Rosa Flores interviewed a woman who says she was -- she has a very good reason. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELSA CRUZ, SAMUEL'S WIDOW: What? Somebody, look, what are you doing to me?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Elsa Cruz was worried when her husband Samuel suddenly kicked her out of the apartment for no apparent reason. Samuel is a bipolar schizophrenic so she called 911.

CRUZ: He died in his own apartment.

FLORES: She thought she was calling for an ambulance. But instead, they sent the police.

CRUZ: Bang! That's it. And they shouted what happened? Did you hurt my husband? Never answered me.

FLORES: Police in New Rochelle, New York say Samuel lunged at them with a knife. They determined he was a danger to himself or others, an EDP, an emotionally disturbed person.

COMM. PATRICK CARROLL, NEW ROCHELLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: We had a record of possible violence. It was a good shooting. In other words, the officers were justified and there is a deadly physical force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Rosa Flores is joining me now live.

More of this fascinating story runs tomorrow during a legal view with Ashleigh Banfield here on CNN.

But Rosa, why don't you tell us a little bit more about this. What is being done in these cases?

FLORES: Well, you know, these are really sad, Don. The families of the interviewing are suing and what they are asking for is really interesting because they are asking for a change in policy in the two police departments where this happened. And they want to use something called the Memphis model. Now, that is a method of responding to these emotionally disturbed person cases that involved family, the community, professionals, and law enforcement of course.

Now, Memphis has seen a huge success and these folks want to replicate this. And again tomorrow, we will talk not only more about this case that you just showed us, but another case as well involving a young man who seemed depress ted. His mom called for help and well now, she regrets making that phone call.

But Don, like you said, we covered a lot of these in the news where people questioned why didn't they seek help or why didn't maybe their families seek help. So, this gives us perhaps a window, opens a window into what's happening in a lot of homes and communities.

LEMON: I see a lot of emotionally disturbed people and it is about time that we take the stigma off mental illness and really address it, Rosa.

So, I look forward to your reporting. Thank you, yes.

Again, the full story runs tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern on the "LEGAL VIEW" with Ashleigh Banfield. Make sure you tune in for that.

No deal yet in Washington. How could that affect the stock markets tomorrow morning? We are getting an idea of that next.

And some might call it radical or even ridiculous, but should private companies and even wealthy Americans step up when it comes to the federal budget issues. Forget the adopt highway program to pick up the trash. How about paying for the repaving? We're going to look at that concept just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Late Sunday afternoon in Washington D.C. and we are no closer to solving the government shutdown than we were this time yesterday or the day before that or the day before that or the day before that.

Just a few minutes ago, the Senate adjourned after a nearly four hour Sunday session. The Democratic and Republican Senate leaders spoke directly trying to reach a workable deal on the debt ceiling and the spending measures, but they made no progress. The Senate will reconvene tomorrow. Of course, we'll keep you posted.

If anything is going to get Washington's attention, it could be what happens tomorrow morning at 9:30. That's when the opening bell rings. That's when the stock markets open, and it could be a tough day on Wall Street.

Our Alison Kosik always keeps an eye on Wall Street and New York. And she's here.

Alison, what's the market expected to do tomorrow?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, what you're going to see Wall Street do tomorrow, Don, is watching Washington, D.C., really watching the rhetoric that comes out of Washington, D.C., and if the market perceives that there's going to be no deal, the market will absolutely give back the gains that it took. And there's some big gains on the optimism that a deal was going to happen.

We saw that optimism in the final three days of the week last week, Wednesday through Friday. Look at Thursday, the Dow jumped 323 points on Thursday. That's the biggest point game since September 2011. And by the time Friday ended, the Dow had gained 460 points today. Basically recovering all the losses it racked up since the shutdown started on October 1st.

But once again, tomorrow, we may see Wall Street signals it's not happy with how this weekend went. You may see stocks do a sharp 180 and trade lower, Don, because we're getting dangerous close to the deadline -- Don.

LEMON: How worried are investors about the dell ceiling, Alison? I mean, is there an expectation that there will be no deal?

KOSIK: Well, I mean, the way Wall Street sees, between the shutdown and the debt ceiling issue, the debt ceiling is definitely winding up to be a bigger deal than the shutdown because if the U.S. can't pay its bills, that could cause interest rates to skyrocket. The stock market could tank. Higher interest rates, that would hit the economy hard, and you certainly feel it in your monthly mortgage payments and your car loans.

And while the markets believe in the end that some sort of solution is going to happen, you know, the uncertainty is still there and so is in the downside is that, because some Wall Street banks are saying the S&P 500, which a lot of your retirement funds mirror could sell off as much as 45 percent if the debt ceiling isn't raised, and we start to miss some key points.

All of this, you can't forget, you can't forget -- this is really having an effect on consumer confidence. Gallup came out with a poll finding that consumer confidence has actually fallen to its lowest level since Lehman went bankrupt back in 2008. You know, it it's not a good sign, especially as we get closer to the holiday shopping season to see that confidence go down. So, we're not only seeing, you know, the issue going on in the stock markets and short term bond market. We're also seeing it in consumer confidence, too, and all affects the recovery as well, Don.

Right now, we want to take what some might call a radical approach to solving these types of budget issues in the future. What if Apple begun funding part of the education or budget, or for the school system, or the school system, or Ford paid for mail delivery two days a week? So, private companies and for that matter, even the wealthiest Americans, step up and help make up for budget shortfalls.

Manu Raju, a senior political reporter at "Politico", is with me now.

Should they start doing this?

MANU RAJU, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, POLITICO: Well, Republicans would say that absolutely. I mean, that's the rule that they've been saying for years that the private sector could play a much bigger role and the government is just too big. But, remember, Don, I mean, this is a government that spends $3.5 trillion, or as it did in fiscal year 2012. You know, mix with discretionary spending and spending on social safety net programs.

That's about a quarter of the gross domestic product of this country. So, whether the private sector could supplant the role that the government plays in the economy, it's really a stretch. It would, you know, the government in expenditures, really has such a huge impact on the economy, which is why a prolonged shutdown, it could have a drastic effect.

LEMON: Yes. So, here's my question, a bit more directly. We know big business and wealthy Americans donate to charities all the time. But, Manu, I mean, could this be a good way to help pay the bills, especially at this time.

RAJU: You know, certainly, if this goes on for a long time. It can help. But there are things that sort certainly that average folks or people who have wealthy earners or companies just simply cannot replace, like medical research or food inspectors, things that the government does that, are actually and services, transportation services and so forth.

But I guess if this goes on for a while, any little bit helps.

LEMON: If this doesn't work, I mean, if this wouldn't work, then what does the White House do? What do we do? What does Congress need to do to fix these problem at this point?

RAJU: You know, it's really just been the whole meltdown and the whole budget process on the Hill. I mean, if things were done in orderly manner, programs and agencies would be funded individually. There would be -- an actual bills would be taken up and would be passed before October 1st rather than a last-ditch scramble to keep the government operating. I mean, if this is -- if Congress could operate in a way that it's supposed to operate, I think that you wouldn't see the problems that we have today.

LEMON: Manu Raju in Washington -- thank you, sir. Appreciate it.

RAJU: Thank you.

LEMON: You know, here is -- you're very welcome.

Here's something that's nice to here -- a member of Congress with an idea to end the shutdown. His plan would also help resolve the debt crisis and help farmers at the same time. We're going to talk to him about it just ahead.

But, first, Anthony Bourdain goes to Sicily in this week's "PARTS UNKNOWN" where he seeks out a grandma, anyone's grandma, to make him a traditional home-cooked Sicilian meal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, PARTS UNKNOWN: I don't have any grandparents. My mom, I guess she cooks, but the last time she invited me for dinner was like 1972. So, given that tragic, dysfunctional, too much information kind of history, is it any mystery why I'm always on a lookout for grandma? Anybody's grandma will do. Hell, I've been known to cruise rural state highways looking for hitchhiking grannies to abduct so they'll cook for me. And given my fragile emotional state, it makes perfect sense that I drag on to (INAUDIBLE) mom's into making me a nice lunch. Isn't that heart warming, or like creepy and sad?

LEMON: Authorities in India crediting a mass evacuation for keeping the death toll down from the strongest cyclone to hit in 14 years. At least 14 people were killed in that nation that lost 10,000 people in the 1999 cyclone. Thirteen died here in Odisha (ph) state in eastern India. Nearly a million people were evacuated before the storm made land fall with 140 mile per hour winds.

In central India, a devastating day as dozens of people are killed in a stampede during a Hindu festival. Police say the stampede was sparked over a rumor that the bridge was about to collapse about 25,000 people were on the bridge at the time. Eighty-nine people were killed. Some jumping off the bridge into a river. More than 100 others were injured, many critical.

The Red Cross is demanding the release of seven aide workers kidnapped today in Syria. Six Red Cross workers and one volunteer with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were snatched by gunmen in Syria's Idlib Province. They were there delivering medical supplies when their car came under attack. Since war broke out in Syria, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent says dozens have been killed and many more injured, hijacked or kidnapped.

A programming note for you, CNN's Christiane Amanpour sat down with Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani who became an international symbol of women's education when the Taliban tried to kill her. Find out how she is doing and what she dreams of being when she grows up. Make sure you watch the bravest girl in the world. It's tonight, 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

Three years ago, teenage race car driver Ryan Reed was on top of the world. He was training with one of NASCAR's top drivers when suddenly his career was threatened by a life-changing diagnosis.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to this young driver in this week's "Human Factor."

RYAN REED, ROUSH FENWAY DEVELOPMENTAL DRIVER: I've been a race car driver since I was 4 years old.

GUPTA: That's when he won his first go-kart race, and hooked on the thrill of competition, Reed hasn't looked back. He was just 17 when one of NASCAR's top drivers, Kyle Busch, recruited him for his development team.

REED: It was just like everything was falling right into place in my life, and nothing could stop me.

GUPTA: But something did.

REED: I just remember I was really cranky and I remember being this thirty a lot. I was using the bathroom extremely frequently, and losing a lot of weight.

GUPTA: One of the first things his doctors checked, his blood sugar.

REED: It was over 300 fasting.

GUPTA: That's about three times the normal level. Reed was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, but even more devastating than the diagnosis.

REED: They're like, Ryan, you'll never race again. You have to focus on a healthy lifestyle.

GUPTA: Disbelief turned to rebellion. Reed found a doctor willing to help him get back on the track. There had been adjustments, a new diet. He carries a special drink in his car that can boost his blood sugar. A wired sensor has been implanted in his abdomen that transmits his blood sugar readings. There's a continuous glucose monitor mounted to the dash inside his race car that allows him to check his blood sugar during the race.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten-four. How's re your numbers right now?

REED: They're good, 120 still, maintaining.

GUPTA: And his fire suit now sports a bull's eye.

REED: We have a guy trained on the pit crew to reach through the window and give me an insulin injection should I need it.

GUPTA: He's never had to use any of the safeguards, not even a close call. Reed made his debut in NASCAR's second biggest series April 26th and just last month he finished in the top ten.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A handful of national park sites have found a way around the government shutdown, at least for now and are reopening with the help of state funding.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the state struck a deal with the national park service to fund Lady Liberty's operations for the time being. In Arizona, cars lined up to get it to Grand Canyon National Park yesterday. Governor Jan Brewer also negotiated an agreement with the federal government to use state and local funds.

More than 20,000 national park service employees who maintain and secure the facilities have been furloughed. Now, as I told you just a few minutes ago, the U.S. Senate did adjourn this afternoon after nearly four hours in session. To be very blunt, they didn't accomplish much. The purpose of the session was to make a deal aimed at solving the now very urgent debt limit crisis.

I want to talk now with Senator John Hoeven, a Republican from North Dakota.

Senator, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. We know you guys have a lot to do. You know, I was speaking broadly, about when I said not much was accomplished. How disappointed are you right now that you couldn't make a deal today?

SEN. JOHN HOEVEN (R), NORTH DAKOTA: Don, we need to get this done. Republicans and Democrats have to come together and get this done. So, we're negotiating in the Senate and trying to come up with something that we can agree on and passed, get to the House and get the president to sign.

Obviously, time is short. And I think both sides have to come together and get it done.

LEMON: All right. Well, let's move this forward. House members are going to be back in town basically starting from square one tomorrow. Tell me where you see a compromise happening, or at least next week. Where do you see a compromise happening.

HOEVEN: Number of ideas have been put forward in the Senate. You've heard about Susan Collins approach. That's been modified by leader McConnell. He's talking to Senator Reid about it. I think there's something there that we should be able to move forward on.

We're asking Democrat counter parts to join us in this kind of compromise. And, ultimately, remember, the House has both the C.R. and they've offered to put forward a six-week debt limit agreement, which they could advance. So one way or another, we need to make sure we get it done this next week.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk about how this looks, the optics of it. Are you worried about your party? The polls show that this shut down and debt limit disagreement has done some damage, some real damage to Republicans.

HOEVEN: I think we all need to govern, whether you're Republican or a Democrat. And as we approach this debt ceiling issue, we need savings and reforms, because, look, this is like going to the bank, saying, hey, I want to borrow more money. The banker says to you, OK, you're spending more than you're taking in. What adjustments are you going to make?

If the president needs more time to negotiate, that's fine. We can do it with some short term extensions, but we've got to address underlying problems for the good of this country.

LEMON: Senator, with all due respect, my question was, are you concerned about the damage it is doing to your party? HOEVEN: I'm concerned about getting our job done. That's what the American people send us here to do. And I think that applies whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.

LEMON: So you're not concerned about the polls?

HOEVEN: Look, I'm concerned about doing a good job, of course. As a Republican, I think Democrats have to be concerned, too. Everybody should be concerned about getting the job done. That's the priority, getting the job done for the American people.

LEMON: All right, Senator. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.

HOEVEN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Just ahead here on CNN -- you're very welcome -- wrongfully convicted of rape and kidnapping, a Georgia man walks out of prison after 17 years. Now, he is telling his story in a unique way through music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A day of the actual holiday, leaders in the Italian American community in New York City took part in a wreath-laying ceremony to mark Columbus Day. The tradition dates back to the 1920s and pays tribute to Italian American immigrants and their descendants. And the contributions they've made to the development of the United States.

More than 2 million people are currently in U.S. prisons and it is estimated that up to 5 percent of them are serving time for crimes that they didn't commit. Clarence Harrison was picked up by police outside Atlanta back in 1986 and convicted of rape, kidnapping and robbery.

Seventeen years later, Harrison was exonerated through a negative test result from a DNA slide.

Now a man who has had nearly two decades of his life taken away is giving back in a very unique way through music.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARENCE HARRISON, EXONERATED BY GEORGIA INNOCENCE PROJECT: Before I came to pick milk today, the time I've been here (ph). This is the first time I came back since that day.

LEMON (voice-over): In 1987, the life of Clarence Harrison was put on hold, convicted of rape, kidnapping and robbery, a jury sentenced him to life plus 40 years in prison.

HARRISON: My name is Clarence Harrison. I've presently being held falsely accused of crimes I could not have committed. My missive is to try to attempt to correct and rectify a miscarriage of justice.

AIMEE MAXWELL, EXEC. DIR., GEORGIA INNOCENCE PROJECT: Reading the letter, first of all, the fact that he describes that he is innocent and is emphatic about it, and also, the crimes, the types of crimes he was accused of. We thought that this was the kind of case that we might be able to help.

MAXWELL: I thought it was going to be a really exciting moment to tell Clarence. And I told him and he had really no reaction.

HARRISON: Ain't you happy you need (INAUDIBLE)? I said for what. I said, that wasn't for me. That was for you. I always knew I didn't commit the crime.

LEMON: Eighteen days after Clarence walked out of prison and into a new life, he married the woman who first told him about the Georgia Innocence Project.

HARRISON: She was good to me while I was in prison. And she's been good to me since I've been out. You know, I think she is my guardian angel, you know.

BEN HOLST, MUSICIAN: I'm extremely proud to be hosting this event tonight on behalf of the Georgia Innocence Project.

(MUSIC)

LEMON: Musicians Melanie Hammett and Ben Holts initially wanted to write a song to educate people about those wrongly convicted in the U.S. But Aimee Maxwell got Clarence involved and through this collaboration this struggle became alive in song. MELANIE HAMMETT, MUSICIAN: The three of us sat down in the Georgia Innocence Project office and what was going to be a song turned into 12 songs at this point, because Clarence's story is so rich.

HARRISON: The song is based on my life experiences. But all of them is speaking for all of the people wrongly accused.

HOLST: It's an opportunity for his voice to be heard.

MAXWELL: I actually see him letting go of some of the pain.

HARRISON: It didn't just happen to me. It happened to (INAUDIBLE). It could happen to anyone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: He has a great attitude, doesn't he?

To find out more about Clarence's story and to listen to the full collaboration, check out lifesentencealbum.com.